1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to providing electronic user assistance. In particular, the invention relates to providing assistance to user requests for help through the use of a plurality of electronic capabilities, including, but not limited to, displaying files on a website, e-mail, or chat features.
2. Description of the Related Technology
The use of the Internet and the World Wide Web has increased dramatically in recent years. As a consequence, websites have generally incorporated multitudes of features to accommodate the demands of their users. Associated with the increase in functionality is added complexity for the user. The average user of the website is no longer the highly adept, technical user; they are, instead, the mass-market, non-technical user. As a direct result, many users abandon the website prior to completing a search for content. The obvious result is a significant loss of revenue to website operators, a substantial decrease in the efficiency and effectiveness of websites, and an increase in customer support costs.
Today, the primary way in which online support is provided to consumers is via “self-help” methods. These methods typically include lists of static help text, often called frequently asked questions (FAQs), that are stored within a document or are searched and received from a database. The static FAQ support method often only provides a general overview and can cause user frustration when trying to find answers to their questions. Additionally, users continue to experience difficulties since each website may use a different method of help. Part of the inefficiency of the old method is based on the fact that the user is directed to a static information source that was pertinent at the time the website was developed and for problems anticipated by the developers. As users become more knowledgeable, however, the initially anticipated problems may be replaced with more complex and sophisticated problems. The information source may be totally irrelevant to the particular problem encountered by the user initiating a specific request for support.